1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to printhead fire signals in ink jet printers, and, more particularly, to composite printhead fire signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printhead in an ink jet printer can include an array of nozzles, and associated actuators, that expel ink onto a printing medium according to an image to be produced on the printing medium. Signals are provided to the printhead that control the actuators and nozzles, including fire signals that energize the actuators for a sequence of durations. The array of nozzles can be divided into two or more groups of nozzles that are addressed separately and driven by separate fire signals. The separate fire signals can each require an input to the printhead, and printhead input/output (I/O) are relatively expensive in ink jet printhead design and manufacturing.
What is needed in the art is a method and device that combines printhead fire signals while at the same time minimizes printhead I/O requirements.